On the 20th August 1960 Tottenham Hotspur had begun a new season having come third in the First Division (in those days the top division) in the previous campaign. Burnley had won the title that year. Playing Everton at White Hart Lane, in front of over 53,000 fans, the two teams were heading for a draw when the England centre forward, Bobby Smith, who was more bull than gazelle, was brought down in the box for a penalty, but the referee played advantage and Les Allen, a silky number 10, took advantage and slotted the first goal. Two minutes later Smith scored the second to send the Spurs to the top of the league.
Smith was from North Yorkshire and he scored 176 goals for Spurs in 271 games. He started at Chelsea, went to Brighton briefly and I saw him play for Hastings United in an FACup qualifier at Horsham Town. He was on his way down by then and actually quite old! His career with England was fairly successful with 15 goals in 13 games.
By the end of the season Tottenham had won the league and the FA Cup, beating Leicester City in the 1961 Final.
I saw Spurs draw 4-4 with Burnley at WHLane in front of a crowd of over 58,000, a game Spurs were well in charge at half time, 4-0, until John Connelly, an England winger, and Ray Pointer, also an England centre forward made their mark. Pointer was a proven goal scorer but he only played three times for England scoring twice. Spurs scored 115 goals that season and conceded 55, the second lowest in the division.
The next season, Leicester represented England in the European Cup Winners Cup because Tottenham were playing in the European Cup, as it was known then, Aston Villa won the Football League Cup, Birmingham City played in the third Inter Cities Fairs Cup (open only to one city from each European Country-16 countries participated) and lost in the final to Roma over two legs. Sheffield Wednesday were first Division runners up and Newcastle and Preston were relegated.
On 14 August 2005, Lyon and Chelsea agreed a £24.4 million fee for Essien, ending one of the longest-running transfer sagas. At the time, the fee made Essien Chelsea's most expensive signing of all time, surpassing the £24 million Chelsea paid for Didier Drogba the previous summer. The transfer went through on 19 August.
Essien made his debut as a second-half sub against Arsenal on 21 August 2005, wearing the number 5 on his shirt. The match ended in a 1–0 victory to Chelsea. He made an assist in his full debut against WBA,replascing the injured Claude Makélélé in the defensive midfield role against Sunderland in the 2–0 win on 10 September 2005. He soon cemented his place in Jose Mourinho's side, starting in 31 domestic league matches, as well as 11 appearances in other cup competitions.
On 15 December 2005, Essien was given a two-match ban by UEFA for a controversial tackle onDietmar Hamann, which resulted in hissuspensionfrom Chelsea's Champions League second round tie with eventual European championsBarcelona. Essien apologised to Hamann for the challenge, stating that while he desires to be perceived as a player who "unsettles" opponents, he was not a malicious or an unsporting player; Hamann publicly accepted Essien's apology. In January 2006,
Essien warming up before a game in 2008
Essien scored his first goal for Chelsea from a low cross fromShaun Wright-Phillipson 11 March 2006, in a 2–1 victory overTottenham Hotspur.His second goal came on 17 April 2006, againstEvertonwith a powerful strike after an assertive burst through the defensive line. Essien ended his maiden season in England with two goals, both in the Premier League.
Essien was nominated for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Award on 12 October 2006, where he placed 22nd. One week later, he was nominated for the 2006Ballon d'Or. He was voted as the third BestAfrican Footballer of the Yearin 2006, a feat he also achieved in 2005. He won the 2006 BBC African footballer of the year award.
On 15 May 2007, Chelsea fans voted Essien as ChelseaPlayer of the Yearfor his contributions in the 2006–07 season, becoming the first African to receive the honour. His late dramatic equalising goal against Arsenal was also voted as Chelsea Goal of the Season for 2006–07.
On 12 August 2007, Essien scored the winner with his first goal of the 2007-8 Premier League campaign, as Chelsea defeated Birmingham City to set an English record for unbeaten league matches at home, eclipsing Liverpool's previous top-flight record of 63 sets between 1978 and 1981.
On 10 October 2007, Essien was nominated for the prestigious 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Award for the third consecutive year and on 21 October 2007, he was also nominated for the 2007 Ballon d'Or Award for the third consecutive year. He was voted 15th Best Player in the World at the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Awards. On 12 December 2007, he was nominated for the 2007 African Footballer of the Year, the third consecutive time he had been nominated. He was runner-up to that year's winner, FredericKanoute.
On 22 July 2008, Essien signed a new five-year deal with Chelsea, keeping him at the club until 2013. He also extended his contract on 12 March 2007.
Essien playing for Chelsea in 2010
It was feared Essien would miss the 2008-9 Premier season after sustaining acldamage on 5 September while playing for Ghana. However, on 7 March 2009, he came on as a substitute in the second half of the FA Cup match againstCoventry City. In his second match back from the knee injury, Essien scored just before half-time to give Chelsea a vitalaway goalagainstJuventusin the Champions League first knockout round. Chelsea went on the draw the match 2–2 and through to the quarter-finals 3–2 on aggregate. He made his first league start from injury againstManchester City, scoring the only goal in the match.
On 6 May 2009, Essien scored a left-footed volley in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona, a tie that Chelsea ultimately lost due to the away goal rule. The goal was later voted as Chelsea's Goal of the Season by the club's fans.
In the2009–10 Premier League season, Essien put in an excellent performance against Blackburn Rovers on 24 October 2009 and scored his first goal of the season with a swerving 35-yard shot on 52 minutes in a 5–0 victory at Stamford Bridge. He scored his first brace for Chelsea against Wolverhampton Wanderers with a header and a low shot from outside the box and came close to completing his first hat-trick for the club with a flurry of second-half shots, one of which was tipped onto the bar by Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. Essien was injured on international duty during the 2010 African Nations Cup and missed the remainder of the English domestic season. On 4 June 2010, he signed a two-year extension to his existing contract which would have kept him at the club until 2015. Essien returned to action on 17 July 2010 in a friendly against Crystal Palace and scored the only goal of the match to give Chelsea the win.
After missing the 2010 FIFA World Cup through injury, Essien had a bright start to the season for Chelsea. He scored the only goal in a pre-season friendly win against Crystal Palace and was an ever-present in Chelsea's unbeaten month of August. He scored a brace against West Ham United, and he scored against MSK Zillinain the UEFA Champions League. Essien also put in impressive performances against Marseille, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham, the latter a match in which he scored the only goal and received a red card. However, Essien would again incur an injury and missed two months of the season, during which Chelsea won just one out of nine matches. He returned to score in the penalty shoot-out loss in the FA Cup against Everton but ultimately had a poor second half of the season. After Chelsea's final match, the Ghana FAannounced Essien had returned to the international squad.
In pre-season training for the 2011–12 Premier League season, Essien ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, undergoing surgery on 11 July 2011. His recovery was said to take up to six months. However, he began training lightly in late November 2011 and made his comeback on 9 January 2012, playing 75 minutes of the reserves' 3–2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion. He made his 150th Premier League appearance for Chelsea as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Sunderland. On 21 January 2012, Essien featured as late substitute in Chelsea's 0–0 draw away at Norwich City.
Due to missing most of the beginning half of the 2011–12 Premier League season, Essien was unable to gain favour with manager André Villas-Boas. On 21 February 2012, during a Champions' League match against Napoli, Villas-Boas left Frank Lampard, Essien and Ashley Cole on the substitutes' bench. Chelsea lost 3–1 and the club's technical director asked for an explanation of the team selection on behalf of Chelsea owner Abramovic!! On 4 March 2012, following a 1–0 league defeat against West Brom which left Chelsea three points adrift of Arsenal in the battle for fourth place in the Premier League, Villas-Boas' employment was terminated by Chelsea, with assistant manager Robert Di Matteo being appointed as caretaker manager on an interim basis until the end of the season. Di Matteo immediately showed favour towards veteran Chelsea players like Essien, Lampard and John Terry. Subsequently, Essien started in Chelsea's second leg champions league fixture against Napoli, with Chelsea winning 4–1 – and 5–4 on aggregate – in an entertaining match allowing Chelsea to advance to the quarter-final, where they met Benfica. Essien subsequently remained an unused substitute in Chelsea's Champions League run, culminating in The Blues' victory over Bayern Munich in the Final making Chelsea the first London-based club to win the title. Cheer Up Manager!!
Reg suffers from dementia, so his daughter has plenty of stimulants on his walls to remind him of his "glorious" past. The 1946 FA Cup Final against Charlton Athletic will be centre piece in the memory wall.
Reg, born 22 May 1923 at Normaton started his footballing career playing for non-league Derby Corinthians as a youth. 97 years old in May and surviving pneumonia during the lockdown, Reg is the oldest living FA Cup winner and he took on this honour when team mate Jim Bullions died in 2014. They were the two youngest in the team in 1946. It was back to basics in those days with a mile and a half walk to the training ground for Reg and changing for training sessions in an old railway carriage, then running to a suitably distanced, named village and back, decided by the manager, Stuart MacMillan! Presumably there would be a ball involved somewhere.
The post final parade in the city was arranged with deckchairs on an open truck owned by Offilers Beer Company. Reg had a hundred tickets for the final which no doubt helped him pay his way!
His girlfriend, when war broke out, was Win (whom he married in 1945) who with a friend would cycle to Newark, on a tandem to meet up with her future husband, an 80 mile round trip. No explanation of what her mate did once in Newark! They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in March 2015.
During the war he guested for Sheffield Utd, Notts County, Charlton Ath and Hartlepool United.
Reg played for Derby County from 1944-55, making 281 apps and scoring 59 goals. He then joined Boston United in the Midlands League and in 1955-6 went to Derby's Baseball ground in an FA Cup tie 2nd Round, which Boston won 1-6. In Rd 4 they met Spurs and lost 4-0. Spurs lost the semi-final to Manchester City 1-0. City won the Cup in 1956.
Reg played and managed at Long Eaton United from 1958-62 and after that he managed at Wilmorton and Alveston FC and at Alfreton Town FC. He continued to work in the Community for the Derbyshire County Council and retired at 63 years old, when he was given the Freedom of the City in 2018. Well deserved!!
17th August 1964 Liverpool won 5-0 away to KR Reykjavik in a European Cup Preliminary Round tie - nothing new then?? IT WAS Liverpool's first match in a European competition.
Those were the days before clubs chartered aircraft for away European ties and Liverpool's squad had a long-winded journey to Iceland. They flew from Liverpool to London, then from London to Prestwick in Scotland. Having a few hours to spare manager Bill Shankly put the players on a bus to show them the area he grew up in - and that included a visit to the Butlins holiday camp! And then more excitement with a flight from Prestwick to Iceland.
ON this day in 1996, David Beckham...remember him? at 21 years old, in his second full season with ManUtd... on the opening of the new Premiership League season, United were playing out time against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park (remember why The Dons played there?)... United, already two up and just before the final whistle, Neil Sullivan, The Dons' keeper...remember him? .....was casually off his line......and so Becks, about 40 yards away, with a swing of his trusty right boot, sent the ball towards the Dons' goal, over Sullivan's head, who was "back tracking", but to no avail, as he ended up in a heap, with the ball nestling into the back of the Wimbledon net! Final score 0-3.
Beckham, arms spread wide, Sullivan sprawling!! Poor old Neil...what is often forgotten, is that United's Jordi Cruyff playing in his debut match, had tried exactly the same cheeky lob with Sullivan having gone "walkabout" ten minutes before! The two careers went in different directions BUT who knows what Cruyff might have achieved had that lob gone in??!!
FOR in the next game he was lobbed from another 40 yards by Newcastle Utd's David Batty......
Champions League 15th AUGUST 2017: Liverpool struggled a little against the South-western German Bundesliga club "Turn und-Sportgemeinschaft 1899" more likely known as TSG1899-Hoffenheim E.V. for short. The Bundesliga club plays at the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar Arena which holds just over 30,100 crowd. As it happens a stunning free kick by debutant right back Trent Alexander-Arnold helped them out! The German side had not lost at home all through last season, so a good result for the "Pool".
The club formed in August 1899 as a gymnastics' club, with 20 young men who met in two pubs,the "Zum Engel" (at the angel) and the "Zum Rossee" (at the sea??). As the winter kicked in (so to speak) the lads chose to run around a bit more outside and hence the introduction of a football! The Fusballverein formed in 1921 and by 1945 the gym club, Turnverein Hoffenheim merged with the footballers. In the 1990s the club was in the 8th division, playing as an amateur.
Hoffenheim is described as a "village" in Baden Wurttemberg (state capital is Stuttgart) and hosted a club in the 5th Division of the German league in 2000. With an investment from financial wizard and software entrepreneur, Dietmat Hopp, the club has risen through the German ranks to the Bundesliga by 2008. In 2016-17 they came 4th in the division and thereby qualify to play against Liverpool. http://www.achtzehn99.de/tsg-en-us/history/
Following an injury strewn career with Munchen and Augsburg, TSG's manager Julian Nagelsmann, took charge of TSG after reading a Business degree and then a Sports' Science degree at university. He has been described as a "Mini Mourinho" and at 28 years old he is the youngest manager in the Bundesliga. His career record at that level is Played 50 Won 24 and Drawn 16. He was German Manager of the Year in 2017.
August 1957 was the month that a British Football League player ,William John Charles left home to play for Juventus for a fee of £65,000. This was an amount twice the previous record spent by Real Madrid on John Fox Watson of Fulham, one of the few early international transactions from an British league club and of course Charles opened the flood gates, with Jimmy Greaves, Gerry Hitchin, Dennis Law and others heading south (for a while).
Watson was a Scot who had played local football as a youngster and then signed for Bury FC pre-war. He lost a few years being called up and then he joined Fulham, went to Real Madrid briefly, came back to Crystal Palace and ended up at Canterbury City (Kent!).
Taken from his local side Gendros in Wales, he trialled at Leeds and was signed on in September 1948 by Major Frank Buckley and making his debut in front of a small appreciative crowd against Queen of the South in a friendly.
The result was 0-0 which does not sound too exciting, but Charles was still a teenager and he snuffed out Billy Houliston, a Scottish international who, 10 days earlier, had run England riot at Wembley in front of over 98,000, helping the Scots to a 3-1 victory.
Houliston played 120 games after the war, in the Scottish league and scored 60 goals. His robust style of play unsettled the England defenders and he scored 5 goals in 7 appearances for his country. He did not upset JC in the friendly, however.
The remarkable link is that Charles was scouted and then joined Leeds Utd in 1948 managed by the POMO (KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?) man, Major Franklin Charles Buckley. Buckley managed clubs from 1919 including Norwich, Blackpool, Wolves, Hull, Leeds and finally Walsall through till 1955.
The Major was responsible for the development of the Position Of Maximum Possibility, a style of play adopted by Graham Taylor, John Beck and David Bassett and others. Basically Long Ball!
John Charles, between 1948 and 1974, played 715 matches scoring 370 goals, remembering that he could play anywhere, he often found himself at centre half, whihc makes that tally all the more impressive. His career took him from Juve to Leeds again, briefly, Roma, Cardiff City, Hereford Utd as player-manager and then Merthyr Town and finally Hamilton Steelers in Canada. He died in February 2004 aged 72.
JC represented Wales 38 times scoring 15 times and was never cautioned or sent off!!
ON THIS DAY 34 years ago, the first ever Premier League goal was scored by Sheffield United striker Brian Deane, who netted in the 5th minute of the Blades' opening day match against Manchester United.
He also scored with a penalty kick in the 50th minute, propelling the Blades to a 2-1 win.
Deane went on to say of the goal, "I found out I had scored the first goal at half-time but it didn't really feel like a big thing at the time." So modest!!
On 16 January 1993, Deane scored a hat trick against Ipswich Town in a 3–0 league victory, making him one of the first!! players to score a hat-trick in the Premier League.
Manchester United recovered from their poor start, however, claiming the inaugural Premier League title. Sheffield United finished in 14th position!!
After a short spell at Sunderland, he signed for Perth Glory in the Australian A-League. He left mid-season after failing to make an impact and sustaining a long-term injury, scoring once in seven appearances. He stated that he did not want to prevent Perth Glory from signing another striker due to salary cap and squad size restrictions imposed by the league.
After leaving, Deane re-signed for the third time at Sheffield United making him one of the only players to have signed three times. In December 2005 he made two substitute appearances before retiring at the beginning of the 2006–07 season, after the Blades had won promotion back to the Premier League following a 12-year exile.
